Another great evening of art and culture by the riverside in our European capital of culture. Acrobatics inside glowing bubbles gliding on the water. Reminded me of the old British cult series – the Prisoner. “I am not a number, I am a free man!”

It’s definitely in the air – the end of summer. Darkening nights bring out the gaudy colours of the riverside bars and restaurants on the surface of the river. And the evening chill, can’t ignore it any more. Melancholy time of the year.

Quite an unusual art project – 4 tiny artsy saunas around the town, for about 4-5 people to rent at one time (you can’t fit any more in there). This yellow onion sauna stand next to the outdoor swimming where I do my water aerobics twice a week. Novel idea for the European culture capital – and very apt for Finland, the country that gave the word ‘sauna’ to the world!www.turku2011.fi/en/saunalab_en

Cycling instead of driving is a good way to observe the surroundings. My eye is often drawn to nice-looking entrances, gates and flower arrangements. This one, in particular, was very inviting. Aren’t you just magnetigally drawn towards that white bench in the yard?

This riverside bar and restaurant used to be my regular hang-out when I was a university student. Countless spring and summer nights were spent on this terrace, over a bottle of wine, talking about making this world a better place.

I was really sad, when at the beginning of the new millennium, it seemed that the whole place was doomed to decay. Luckily, a rescue operation took place, and this spring the place was reopened, in a modernized form. But the old pillars from the early 19th century are still there, whispering the voices of almost 200 years of history.

And this is what the modern new summer terrace looks like. Really nice, like a livingroom by the river!

A new concept for a ‘pop up restaurant and bar’ – a temporary, open tent set up only for the month of July, right in the centre of town, As part of the European Culture Capital Year, a renowned Finnish Michelin chef is behind this idea. Top chefs from around the world are expected to tempt us with their concoctions on three evenings, and live music performances are lined up for the bar at the other end of the tent.

Taking a walk along the riverside revealed another environmental art installation of our culture capital. Giant glass-fibre eiders, by artist Reima Nurmikko, have been set free to float in the river. According to the artist, they symbolize freedom, but even more importantly, the artist wants to draw attention to the urgency of protecting the Baltic Sea, the habitat of the real eiders that come to build their nests in our waters.

One local comprehensive school also acquired a few of these bird statues some years back, and they have become favourite climbing and playing frames for the students, while reminding them of environmental issues at the same time.

June started with a sudden heatwave – +28 degrees Celcius today! Lots of people flocked to the riverbanks in the afternoon.